Die



i9 4,la

DIE

F I G. I A

H. E. RENAUD Filed Nov.

June 6, 1950 INVENTOR.

Harold E. Renaud.

gj- TORNEY F' l G Patented June 6, 1950 DIE Harold E. Renaud, Lansing, Mich., assignor to Renaud Plastics, Inc., Lansing, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application November 17, 1948, Serial No. 60,563

9 claims. l

This invention relates to dies and more particularly to dies for molding molten metals and non-metallic plastics.

One Lcommon method of making the cooperating parts of multi-part dies for forming metal die castings or plastic moldings is to electrodeposit a relatively thick coating of a suitable met/al, such as chromium, copper, or the like, upon a form. The die members so made are attached to .die holders and used in making die castings and molding non-metallic plastics in the usual way. Diiculties are encountered in the use of `such dies, however, in backing the die members so as to suitably reinforce the same, as well as to provide vfor cooling the dies where hot plastics or molten metals are cast in the die.

The lprincipal object of the present invention is to vprovide a die of this general character with a backing material that reinforces the die members.

A further object is to provide a simple means for cooling such dies.

These objects, as well as others ancillary thereto, will more fully appear in the following specification when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a plan view of a double die utilizing the present invention;

Figure 2 is a vfragmentary cross-sectional view taken on substantially the line 2--2 of Figure l; and

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on substantially the line 3 3 of Figure 1.

In general, the die shown in the drawings comprises upper and lower die holders Ill and I'I respectively, upper and lower cooperating die members .12 and I3 respectively, andbacking material for the die members in the form of steel balls I4..

lThe die shown in the drawings is of the double type or. in other words, one which includes two separate set of dies of identical form which are lled from the same gate. The upper and lower die holders Il) and II are preferably steel blocks suitably formed. They are adapted to be connected to a ram and a bed of a press, respectively, not shown. The upper die member I is connected to the ram by means of vertical bars I5. The lower die holder Il rests upon the bed of the press and is attached thereto in any suitable manner.

The lower die holder II is provided with two generally sanare. relatively deep cavities I5 to receive female die members I3 and supports I1 therefor. The supports may be in box shaped form', open at the top, and fashioned to fit relatively snugly within the cavities I6. Preferably each die Asupport i1 comprises a bottom plate I8 and a continuous side wall I9. They are bolted together by a plurality of vertically extending bolts 20 which also connect the die member I3 to the side wall I9.

The die member I3, as are all of the other die members used in the die, is preferably made by electro-depositing a suitable metal, such as chromium, upon a mold until the die is of the desired thickness. Usually the thickness of such die members is on the order of to Mg".

In the die shown the upper surface of the gdie member is the molding surface. It is shaped `to conform to the iinished article to be molded. It is also provided with a perimetral flange 2 I. The iiange 2l has a plurality of tapped openings therein to receive the threaded ends of the bolts '20. Preferably both the upper edge of the side wall I9 of the die support and the lower surface of the flange 2l are provided with cooperating perimetral grooves to receive a gasket 22, thereby sealing the joint between these two parts. A gasket 23 is also placed between the bottom wall Ill and the side wall i9 oi' the die support Il.

The hollow space bounded by the die member I3, the bottom wall i8 and side wall I9 of the die support is tightly packed with. a multiplicity of relatively small incompressible solids. Preferably these solids are in the form of stainless steel spherical balls. The balls are placed within the die support during assembly of the die member and die support. Balls of varying diameters may be used in order that there will be a good contact between a large number of the outermost balls and the adjacent walls of the die member and the die support. Preferably the diameter of the balls will be on the order of 1A," to Tae" in diameter. It is important that there be spaces around all of the balls for the passage of cooling fluid in a manner which will be set forth presently.

The upper die holder Ill is provided with a pair of cavities 25 to receive die supports 26 and male dies I2. The die supports 2li and die members l2 are constructed in a manner similar to the die i3. and die support Il previously described. The hollow space formed by the die support 2B and die member l2 is packed with spherical steel balls I4 in the same manner as the die support I1.

Both upper and lower die holders I il and Il are provided with passageway-s for the admission of molten metal or non-metallic plastic in fluid form. These passageways are indicated by the U numeral 29. The passageways 29 open into a gate 30 in the upper die holder I0 through which the metal or plastic may be poured.

Each of the upper and lower parts of each die are provided with an inlet and an outlet for cooling fluid. These are shown best in Figure 3. The upper die support 26 is provided with opposed tapped openings 3| and 32. They receive an inlet conduit 33 and an outlet conduit 34 respectively. Preferably the opening 3| for the inlet conduit does not go completely through the side wall of the die support 26. Instead, the inner end of the relatively large opening 3| communicates with a plurality of obliquely extendingr small apertures 35. Thus, when fluid is passed through the conduit 33 into the interior of the die support 28 the fluid will be diverted in several directions in order to follow the contour of the interior of the die suD- port and the back of the die member I2, so as to effectively cool the same.

The lower die support I1 is provided with an inlet conduit 35 and an outlet conduit 31 threaded into opposite walls of the die support. Preferably the inner end of the inlet conduit 36 is provided with a head 38 having laterally extending apertures 39 so as to divert the fluid and disseminate it through the interior of the die support.

In molding an object from molten metal or fluid plastic, as in the present invention, the upper and lower die holders with their associated die 1f.

members are brought into tight fitting contact by means of the ram. The fluid plastic or metal is then poured through the gate 30 from whence it iiows between the opposed die members l2 and I3. There it is allowed to solidify. After the dies have been lled with the fluid material, cooling fluid is passed through the inlet conduits 33 and 36 into the hollow interiors of the die supports and out through the outlet conduits 34 and 31. Due to what may be termed the cellular' construction of the backing of the die members, namely, that produced by the spaces between the steel balls I4, the cooling fluid can reach all parts of the interiors of the die members and effectively cool the same. At the same time the spherical steel balls that form the backing for the die members contact the latter at a multiplicity of closely spaced points and thereby effectively reinforce the die members and hold them in their proper shape.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the present invention provides both a simple and effective manner of reinforcing die members of the plate like type, as well as providing for eicient and rapid cooling of the same.

The scope of the invention is indicated in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A die comprising a pair of opposed hollow relatively movable rigid die supports open at their sides adjacent to each other, a pair of cooperating die members attached to the respective die holders at the open sides thereof, and backing means for said die members comprising a multiplicity of relatively small incompressible individual solids filling said die supports in tightly packed relationship, the outermost of said solids contacting the adjacent walls of said die supports and the backs of said die members.

2. A die as defined in claim 1 wherein said solids are of spherical form.

3. A die as defined in claim 1 wherein said solids are spheres of varying diameters.

4. A die comprising a pair of cooperating relatively thin die members adapted to be placed in juxtaposition to each other to form a mold, hollow rigid die supports attached to said die members at the sides of the latter remote from each other, and backing means for said die members comprising a multiplicity of relatively small incompressible individual solids, filling the space Within said die supports in tightly packed relationship, the outermost of said solids contacting the adjacent walls of said die supports and the adjacent sides of said die members.

5. A die as defined in claim 4 wherein said solids are corrosion resistant steel spheres.

6. A die as defined in claim 4 wherein said die holders are provided with inlet and outlet conduits for the passage therethrough of cooling Huid.

7. A die comprising a pair of opposed hollow relatively movable rigid die supports open at their sides adjacent to each other, a pair of cooperating die members attached to the respective die supports in sealed engagement therewith, inlet and outlet conduits connected to each of said die supports for the passage of cooling fluid therethrough, and backing means for said die members comprising a multiplicity of relatively small incompressible solids iilling said die holders in tightly packed relationship, the outermost Of said solids contacting the adjacent Walls of said die supports and the backs of said die members.

8. A die as defined in claim 7 wherein said solids are of spherical form.

9. A die as defined in claim 7 wherein said solids are spheres of varying diameters.

HAROLD E. RENAUD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,834,763 Bonsieur Dec. 1, 1931 2,187,918 Sloan Jan. 23, 1940 2,357,867 Babbitt et al Sept. 12, 1944 

